U.S. rapper Tyga reacts to matatu bearing his image

American rapper, Micheal Ray Stevenson alias Tyga has reacted to an image of a matatu bearing his image.

Tyga took to his social media to share the image of the matatu that had his face drawn on the front and rear sides. 

“Where n the world is this..and what are they on?!” he said in a Tweet. 

From the registration plates, it was easy to tell that the vehicle was a matatu in Kenya. 

Kenyans flooded the post with their comments, many trying to guess what route the matatu plies and others explaining that graffiti was part of the matatu culture in Kenya. 

Kenya's matatu graffiti culture

The matatu culture in Kenya is a unique and vibrant phenomenon that has been growing since the 1960s. 

READ: Rick Ross reacts to matatu bearing his image

The term matatu refers to privately owned public service vehicles that serve as the primary mode of transportation for many Kenyans. 

These PSVs are known for their colourful and intricate graffiti designs, which have become a source of pride for Kenyans. 

Graffiti artists have been driving this industry by creating unique designs that reflect pop culture, including musicians, footballers, slogans, and sayings. 

The matatu culture embraces different types of graffiti, and young people in Kenya are increasingly preferring these pimped-out buses over traditional ones. 

The graffiti culture in matatus has become so popular that it has spurred local art and has become a way for artists to showcase their work. 

The PSVs are also modified with other elements such as sound systems, and interior fabrication, all of which could cost as much as Sh300,000 depending on the mods. 

This in turn creates employment for young people who work on the interior & exterior fabrications as well as the graffiti.